[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 241 (Monday, December 18, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 87481-87482]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-27719]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

[Docket No. PHMSA-2023-0078 (Notice No. 2023-15)]


Hazardous Materials: Information Collection Activities

AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), 
DOT.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, PHMSA 
invites comments on an information collection pertaining to hazardous 
materials transportation for which PHMSA intends to request renewal 
from the Office of Management and Budget.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
January 17, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for this information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.
    Information collections can be found by selecting ``Currently under 
30-day Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search 
function.
    We invite comments on: (1) whether this collection of information 
is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the 
Department, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; (2) the accuracy of the Department's estimate of the burden of 
the information collections; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, 
and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, 
including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of 
information technology.
    Docket: For access to the Dockets to read background documents or 
comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven Andrews or Nina Vore, Standards 
and Rulemaking Division, (202) 366-8553, Pipeline and Hazardous 
Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 1320.8(d), title 5, Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR) requires PHMSA to provide interested members of the 
public and affected agencies an opportunity to comment on information 
collection and recordkeeping requests. This notice identifies 
information collection requests that PHMSA previously published on 
October 3, 2023,\1\ in a 60-day Federal Register notice seeking 
comments and is now submitting to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for renewal and extension. It should be noted that the 60-day 
Federal Register notice also listed OMB Control Number 2137-0612 for 
``Hazardous Materials Security Plans.'' Since the publication of the 
60-day notice, PHMSA has submitted a package to OMB for the renewal of 
2137-0612 ``Hazardous Materials Security Plans'' in association with 
the HM-264A Final Rule titled ``Hazardous Materials: Suspension of HMR 
Amendments Authorizing Transportation of Liquefied Natural Gas by 
Rail'' published on September 1, 2023 [88 FR 60356]. Therefore, PHMSA 
no longer is listing this OMB control number as a part of the current 
30-day notice as it is no longer needed.
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    \1\ https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/10/03/2023-21870/hazardous-materials-information-collection-activities.
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    The following information is provided for the information 
collection titled ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative 
Feedback on Agency Service

[[Page 87482]]

Delivery'': (1) title of the information collection, including former 
title if a change is being made; (2) OMB control number; (3) summary of 
the information collection activity; (4) description of affected 
public; (5) estimate of total annual reporting and recordkeeping 
burden; and (6) frequency of collection. PHMSA will request a 3-year 
term of approval for the information collection activity and will 
publish a notice in the Federal Register alerting the public upon OMB's 
approval. PHMSA requests comments on the following information 
collection:
    Title: Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback 
on Agency Service Delivery.
    OMB Control Number: 2137-0640.
    Summary: The information collection activity will garner 
qualitative customer and stakeholder feedback in an efficient, timely 
manner and in accordance with the Department's commitment to improving 
service delivery. Qualitative feedback is information that provides 
useful insights on perceptions and opinions, not statistical surveys 
that yield quantitative results that can be generalized to the 
population of study. This feedback will provide insight into customer 
or stakeholder perceptions, opinions, experiences and expectations, as 
well as an early warning of issues with service, or focus attention on 
areas where communication, training or changes in operations might 
improve delivery of products or services. These collections will allow 
for ongoing, collaborative, and actionable communications between PHMSA 
and its customers and stakeholders. It will also allow feedback to 
contribute directly to the improvement of program management. Feedback 
or information collected under this generic clearance will provide 
useful information, but it will not yield data that can be generalized 
to the overall population.
    The Department will submit a collection for approval under this 
generic clearance if it meets the following conditions:
    <bullet> The collections are voluntary.
    <bullet> The collections are low-burden for respondents (based on 
considerations of total burden hours, total number of respondents, or 
burden-hours per respondent) and are low-cost for both the respondents 
and the Federal Government.
    <bullet> The collections are non-controversial and do not raise 
issues of concern to other Federal agencies.
    <bullet> Any collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions 
from respondents who have experience with the program or may have 
experience with the program in the near future.
    <bullet> Personally identifiable information (PII) is collected 
only to the extent necessary and is not retained.
    <bullet> Information gathered is intended to be used only 
internally for general service improvement and program management 
purposes and is not intended for release outside of the Department (if 
released, the Department must indicate the qualitative nature of the 
information).
    This type of generic clearance for qualitative information will not 
be used for quantitative information collections that are designed to 
yield reliably actionable results, such as monitoring trends over time 
or documenting program performance. Such data uses require more 
rigorous designs that address: the target population to which 
generalizations will be made, the sampling frame, the sample design 
(including stratification and clustering), the precision requirements 
or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the 
expected response rate, methods for assessing potential nonresponse 
bias, the protocols for data collection, and any testing procedures 
that were or will be undertaken prior to fielding the study. Depending 
on the degree of influence the results are likely to have, such 
collections may still be eligible for submission for other generic 
mechanisms that are designed to yield quantitative results.
    Affected Public: Individuals and households, businesses and 
organizations, State, Local or Tribal Governments.
    Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden:
    Number of Respondents: 6,000.
    Total Annual Responses: 6,000.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 3,000.
    Frequency of Collection: One-time requirement.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on December 12, 2023, under authority 
delegated in 49 CFR 1.97.
T Glenn Foster,
Chief, Regulatory Review and Reinvention Branch, Office of Hazardous 
Materials Safety, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2023-27719 Filed 12-15-23; 8:45 am]
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